“I’m glad to see you’re still among the living.” Vaughn’s cheerful voice came over the phone, and her blood pressure spiked.
Her first instinct was to look around, but she knew the man well enough to know he’d be safely tucked out of sight, so she kept on walking. “No thanks to you.”
Jackson mouthed “Is that Vaughn?” and when she nodded, he looked as though he might blow a gasket.
“Don’t be such a poor sport,” Vaughn said. “Some people live, some people die. It’s how things roll in our line of work. I know you won’t believe me, but I’m happy you didn’t end up in the ground like Petrov.”
“You’re right; I don’t believe you.” Jackson pressed the button to unlock the truck, and she climbed into the passenger seat. “What do you want?”
Silence stretched out over the phone, and for a moment, she thought he might have hung up. At last, he said, “She’s not really dead, is she?”
Phone tucked between her ear and shoulder, Essie ignored the churn of her stomach as she fastened her seat belt. “That’s an odd question to ask, considering she just got put into the ground. I’m sure you were watching.”
“I watched an urn get buried. Her husband seemed pretty choked up about it, but I can’t help but wonder if Antonina Petrov’s ashes were really in there. My gut says no. Am I right?”
Essie huffed out a breath to convey her disdain. “You got paid, Vaughn. What more do you want?”
“That’s not a denial, kiddo.” He chuckled. “I taught you better than that.”
Yes, he did, and it pissed her off, though she refused to let it bleed into her voice. “Is there a point to this call?”
“No, not really. My client is happy, I got paid, and the funds are tucked away in a numbered account that nobody will ever find, not even that pretty little hacker. But for the sake of all parties involved, make sure your girl stays dead for a while. Things might get messy if they realize I got paid for nothing.”
A turn of the key, and the truck’s engine rumbled to life. Hand on the gearshift, Jackson gave her a questioning look, and she signaled for him to start driving.
“Goodbye, Vaughn.”
“Come on, don’t be like that. I hate the thought of things ending this way between us.”
It took a bit of effort for Essie to unclench her jaw. “You. Tried. To kill me. More than once.”
“Only because you left me with no alternative. If I didn’t have a flight to catch, I’d explain it all to you.” He muttered something too low for her to make out. “Look, before I leave, I want to give you a token of my affection. You know, to show there’s no hard feelings.”
“What, are you going to shoot at me this time?”
A sigh came over the phone. “Trust me, you’re going to want this, especially if your dead girl is still among the living. I’ll wait for you to get something to write with.”
Reluctantly, she opened the center console and fished out the notepad and pencil that Jackson kept in there. “Go ahead.”
Vaughn rattled off a series of numbers and letters, and she realized they were coordinates. “Do I need to repeat that?”
“No, I got it. What are these coordinates for?”
“Oh, I’m not going to spoil the surprise. You’ll have to find out for yourself.” The humor left his voice when he added, “I know you won’t believe me, but I enjoyed seeing you again.”
“I wish I could say the same. Don’t ever come back to Orlando.”
“You know I can’t promise that, but I’ll do my best. Give the big guy a wet, sloppy kiss for me, will you?”
He was still laughing when she ended the call.
“What the hell did that asshole want?” Jackson asked as he turned onto the main road.
“He said goodbye and gave me a present.” Quickly, she called Nina, who was still tucked away at Fort Falco. “If I give you a set of coordinates, can you tell me the location of the property and who owns it?”
“Sure, no problem.”
Essie rattled off the information, and the sound of typing carried over the line.
